


A Kind of Paradise

by kirani



Category: Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: Birthday, Books, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-04
Updated: 2019-10-04
Packaged: 2020-11-23 23:09:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 674
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20897654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kirani/pseuds/kirani
Summary: It’s Adam Parrish’s birthday and Ronan has promised him a surprise.





	A Kind of Paradise

**Author's Note:**

  * For [faeblesmith](https://archiveofourown.org/users/faeblesmith/gifts).

> Happy birthday Dean! Hope you like this little bit of fluff.

“I have always imagined that paradise will be a kind of library.” - Jorge Luis Borges 

Adam Parrish didn’t like surprises. 

He liked things to be how he expected them to be and he liked to have plenty of advance notice of change. There was only place where that wasn’t true. Well, one person. Ronan Lynch. 

He trusted Ronan to know him well enough to plan the occasional surprise. With warning. 

So when Ronan asked if he could plan a surprise for his twenty-first birthday, Adam had agreed. 

The day arrived without much fanfare, nearly too hot to move in the July heat. When he asked if he should wear anything special, Lynch had shrugged and told him to be comfortable. So he dragged on a tee and jeans and went downstairs. 

Ronan had cooked breakfast in the Barns’ kitchen and the smell of sausages filled the air. 

“Smells good, Lynch,” he greeted with a kiss to his boyfriend’s cheek. 

“Happy birthday, Parrish.” 

“What’s the big surprise?” 

“After breakfast,” Ronan promised before gently hip bumping him away from the stove. Adam laughed and went to pour a cup of coffee while he watched Ronan work. 

Soon enough, the two boys were eating and chatting companionably, passing condiments before being asked and teasing gently with smiles. It was good, what they had. 

After breakfast was done and cleaned up (“sit down Parrish, it’s your birthday you aren’t doing the dishes”), Ronan led him from the house and through the nearest pasture. 

“Where are we going?”

“You’ll see,” Ronan smirked. Adam rolled his eyes but followed easily, slipping his fingers through Ronan’s. Finally, they entered a small barn and Adam gasped. Lining the walls of the retrofitted barn were shelf upon shelf of books. The space was lit with fairy lights draping across the open space and reading lamps beside a set of five mismatched reading chairs set in a semi-circle in the middle. Most looked big enough to fit two people if they cuddled. The floor was covered with a worn throw. 

“Where did you get all this?” 

Ronan shrugged. “Second hand shops, garage sales, dreams.”

“You dreamt books for me?”

“Some of ‘em. Most are from around the county, last couple years. I had a lot of time on my hands with you off at college.”

“This is an amazing surprise,” Adam whispered, pulling Ronan in to kiss him firmly. 

“This isn’t all of it,” Ronan smirked again, clearly pleased with himself. “Your birthday party is this, too. I know you didn’t want to do something big, but Gansey, Blue, and Cheng are coming over later to read with us. The chairs are for all of us.”

“Just to read?”

“Yeah,” Ronan smiled. “There’s something for everyone here. But you have a couple hours to explore on your own first. They won’t be here until lunch. Which is a picnic prepared by yours truly, by the way.” 

“How did you pull all this off?”

Ronan shrugged again but Adam put his hands on his boyfriend’s shoulder and looked in his eyes. “It’s amazing. Thank you.” 

“It’s no big deal.” 

“It is a big deal. Just say, ‘you’re welcome,’ Ronan.”

“You’re welcome Ronan,” he grinned and Adam laughed and kissed him again. 

Then he turned to his new library. “Where do I even start?” 

Ronan turned him by the shoulders and gently led him to a shelf on the far left of the barn. Adam reached out and trailed his fingers over the spines. “Are these in Latin?” 

“Mhm.” 

Adam pulled one from the shelf and thumbed through it reverently. “The Iliad?” 

“Or as close as my dream could get it.”

Adam kissed him one last time before moving to one of the chairs and curling into it to read. Ronan settled into the chair next to him with another Latin book, sprawling his long legs over the arm. 

“I love you.” 

“Love you, too, Parrish. Read your book.” Ronan’s smirk was softer than usual and Adam just smiled back and opened to the first page. 

**Author's Note:**

> Just soft boys being soft and reading in dead languages.


End file.
